Rights group Lawyers for Liberty has called out the government for "overzealous" enforcement of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 following the latest raid on a local independent bookstore yesterday.
LFL director Zaid Malek said the raid on Toko Buku Rakyat bookstore owned by local author Benz Ali at Wisma Central, Kuala Lumpur, is the second of such a move conducted without a ban being gazetted on items seized.
Zayed in a statement today urged the government to stop all enforcement action upon two books seized from the store and to take immediate steps for its repeal.
"The repugnant PPPA should not continue to exist under a ‘reformist’ prime minister or government," he said.
In yesterday's raid, Home Ministry officials seized two book titles: ‘Marx the Revolutionary Educator’ (Marx Sang Pendidik Revolusioner) by Robin Smalls and ‘Masturbation Poetry Collection’ (Koleksi Puisi Masturbasi) by Benz Ali.
"The government has no right to simply seize any publication that it deems inappropriate without going through the very process enumerated in section 7(1) of the PPPA.
“Which states that any order by the minister to ban publications must be gazetted before it can have the force of law," said Zaid.
"Neither of the books have been banned under the PPPA.
"Thus, the government enforcers acted unlawfully, unconstitutionally, and recklessly when they raided and seized the books from the store," he said.
‘Hallmark of a police state’
Zaid further said such actions go against Pakatan Harapan's promise to reform draconian laws, including abolishing the PPPA, included in the coalition's manifesto before it first formed the federal government in 2018.
He stressed that not only had Harapan betrayed its principles, but how the raid and seizure were conducted showed that the present administration had acted beyond the ambit of an already draconian law.
"Seizing or destroying books is the hallmark of a police state, not the democracy we are supposed to be.
"The fervour by which the government is going after an unobjectionable academic analysis of Karl Marx and a book of poetry on the human condition appears to be yet another cynical move to pander to extreme conservative views," said Zayed.
"We remind the government that its duty is to safeguard the community from actual harm or the threat of harm, not thoughts and ideas, which the Constitution protects.
"At all times the government must be guided by principles, and not populist sentiments in the hopes of garnering enough votes to stay in power," he said. - Mkini
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